Carlo Ancelotti expressed his delight with forward Kylian Mbappe's performance during Real Madrid's 2-0 win over Getafe in LaLiga on Sunday. 

Mbappe netted in consecutive top-flight games for the first time since September, eight minutes after Jude Bellingham's penalty had put Los Blancos in front. 

The result moved Madrid to within a point of leaders Barcelona at the summit of the standings, with the luxury of a game in hand over their Clasico rivals. 

Mbappe starred in the win, registering a team-high expected goals (xG) tally of 1.29 to Madrid's 2.58 total, while also having more shots on target (two) and touches in the opposition box (eight) than any of his team-mates. 

This season, only Ante Budimir (six) has scored more home goals in LaLiga than the Frenchman (five - level with Raphinha, Vinicius Junior and Robert Lewandowski). 

And Ancelotti was pleased with Mbappe's display after enduring a difficult outing during Madrid's 2-0 defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League on Wednesday. 

"He was active, dangerous and scored a great goal, which was important to control the rest of the game. He was active and that's what we want from him," Ancelotti said. 

"The fans understand better than anyone the moment of the team and the players. They supported Mbappe after Anfield because it was the right thing to do.

"Yes, a relief for everyone because it was a spectacular goal with fantastic execution," Ancelotti added when asked if it was a relief for Mbappe to score against Getafe.

The result saw Los Blancos extend their unbeaten home run against Getafe to 16 matches. Only against Racing de Santander (18 between 1952 & 1994) have they achieved a longer home winning streak in the competition. 

Ancelotti was also without several of his first-team players on Sunday, with David Alaba, Eder Militao, Vinicius, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga all missing. 

It looked as though they had suffered another injury blow when goalscorer Bellingham was taken off at the break, though Ancelotti was confident it was nothing serious. 

"Despite the difficulties, which are many because of all the injuries we are having, we are fighting and struggling," Ancelotti said.

"We have returned to playing with concentration, spirit and attitude and that reassures me and gives me confidence.

"Little by little we will solve the problems, but in the meantime we are fighting."

Madrid's next assignment comes in the shape of fourth placed Athletic Bilbao, who edged past Rayo Vallecano 2-1 on Sunday thanks to Oihan Sancet's brace. 

Carlo Ancelotti expressed his delight with forward Kylian Mbappe's performance during Real Madrid's 2-0 win over Getafe in LaLiga on Sunday. 

Mbappe netted in consecutive top-flight games for the first time since September, eight minutes after Jude Bellingham's penalty had put Los Blancos in front. 

The result moved Madrid to within a point of leaders Barcelona at the summit of the standings, with the luxury of a game in hand over their Clasico rivals. 

Mbappe starred in the win, registering a team-high expected goals (xG) tally of 1.29 to Madrid's 2.58 total, while also having more shots on target (two) and touches in the opposition box (eight) than any of his team-mates. 

This season, only Ante Budimir (six) has scored more home goals in LaLiga than the Frenchman (five - level with Raphinha, Vinicius Junior and Robert Lewandowski). 

And Ancelotti was pleased with Mbappe's display after enduring a difficult outing during Madrid's 2-0 defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League on Wednesday. 

"He was active, dangerous and scored a great goal, which was important to control the rest of the game. He was active and that's what we want from him," Ancelotti said. 

"The fans understand better than anyone the moment of the team and the players. They supported Mbappe after Anfield because it was the right thing to do.

"Yes, a relief for everyone because it was a spectacular goal with fantastic execution," Ancelotti added when asked if it was a relief for Mbappe to score against Getafe.

The result saw Los Blancos extend their unbeaten home run against Getafe to 16 matches. Only against Racing de Santander (18 between 1952 & 1994) have they achieved a longer home winning streak in the competition. 

Ancelotti was also without several of his first-team players on Sunday, with David Alaba, Eder Militao, Vinicius, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga all missing. 

It looked as though they had suffered another injury blow when goalscorer Bellingham was taken off at the break, though Ancelotti was confident it was nothing serious. 

"Despite the difficulties, which are many because of all the injuries we are having, we are fighting and struggling," Ancelotti said.

"We have returned to playing with concentration, spirit and attitude and that reassures me and gives me confidence.

"Little by little we will solve the problems, but in the meantime we are fighting."

Madrid's next assignment comes in the shape of fourth placed Athletic Bilbao, who edged past Rayo Vallecano 2-1 on Sunday thanks to Oihan Sancet's brace. 

Philippe Clement believes Rangers are continually improving after their hard-fought 1-0 away win over St. Johnstone on Sunday.

Former Rangers midfielder Jason Holt turned into his own net just past the hour as that own goal handed Clement's side their first away win in the Scottish Premiership since September.

It capped an improved week for Clement, whose side thrashed Nice in the Europa League on Thursday to move a step closer to the knockout stages.

Speculation had also grown over the future of under-fire Clement, though the Belgian believes his team are on the right track.

"At the end, it's also crucial to not concede chances," said Clement in his post-match press conference. "We have for the second time in a row only one shot on target from the opponent.

"Last week it was a goal. Now not. And we need to continue in that way, keeping clean sheets and being defensively strong.

"I don't speak only about the defence, it's the whole team working hard for that. I see a lot of improvements with all the squad in what they are doing. It's now continuing all these things.

"What we talked about the last weeks and months. The mistakes we made to take it out of the game, you see it less and less, and then to grow like that.

"And then in the final third to sometimes have better positioning, to sometimes have better decision-making also. It's still a work in progress."

Victory moved Rangers 11 points behind leaders Celtic and seven behind second-placed Aberdeen, who were held to a 1-1 draw away at Hearts on Sunday.

Leighton Clarkson opened the scoring in the first half, only for Aberdeen captain Nicky Devlin to turn into his own net after the interval.

That result left Aberdeen without a win in their last three games, though manager Jimmy Thelin vowed to get his side back on course.

"You can see the players have the fight for each other," Thelin told BBC Scotland. "They're really trying. I liked their approach, that they run so much. They keep running.

"We also need to find the rhythm again, the dynamic of the team. We have the quality, we just need to find the rhythm of the game again.

"Sometimes when the dynamic is there, you lose the ball and the opponents get the momentum too easily. That's the part we have to improve, because we have done it.

"We've taken points away from Hibernian and Hearts this week, that's a tough week. We want to get to Pittodrie and try again."

Danny Rohl pinpointed Barry Bannan as a characterisation of a battling Sheffield Wednesday performance after his fine finish in Sunday's 2-1 win over Derby County.

Ebou Adams needed just nine minutes to open the scoring for Paul Warne's hosts at Pride Park, only for Wednesday to turn things around after the interval.

Bannan started the revival with a sumptuous left-footed effort, chipping over the stranded Jacob Widell Zetterstrom and into the top-left corner.

Jamal Lowe then snatched victory in the dying seconds, powering Wednesday to back-to-back victories for the first time this Championship season.

Rohl highlighted the role of Bannan in particular, lauding his desire to drag the Owls through hard-fought encounters.

"Barry is the same age as me and I can't run around like him," said Rohl. "He is the character of the team in a way.

"He shows brilliant willingness and desire to try and make things happen. After we went behind, step by step, we came back into it. We got a little bit more control.

"But while I'm happy with the result, I'm not happy with the performance. We need to do better overall, especially in a division as tough as this.

"It is a credit to my players that they came through. But I know we also need to improve and do better in certain aspects."

Jerry Yates had earlier spurned a brilliant opportunity to put Derby 2-0 up, with that miss coming back to haunt Warne's side, who are 15th and three places behind Wednesday.

"We created enough to win the game handsomely," Warne said. "I know people are frustrated with me but I've even had members of their staff, not apologise to me, but say that we didn't deserve that.

"We needed that second goal and we couldn't get it. Yes, we lost a little bit of control but overall I thought we did excellently. The lads are devastated in that dressing room.

"They are lower than a snake's belly in there so, because I think overall they've done really well, it's up to us to stay positive and bring that positivity to them.

"Honestly, I don't think I've ever felt this sorry from a defeat before because overall I thought the lads did great."

Like Rohl, Warne also praised the skill of Bannan's glorious leveller from 25 yards out.

"We just needed that second goal and unfortunately it remained elusive," Warne added.

"I thought it would take a wonder goal to get them back in it and Barry is probably the only player on the pitch who could have scored one like he did."

Antonio Conte was pleased Napoli responded to his plea for improvement by claiming a 1-0 win over Torino in Serie A on Sunday.

Napoli got back to winning ways last weekend with a 1-0 home win over Roma and maintained that momentum thanks to Scott McTominay's strike after suffering a 3-0 loss to Atalanta followed by a 1-1 draw at Inter earlier in November.

The Partenopei have now beaten Torino 52 times in Serie A, and only against Lazio (54), have they won more games in the Italian top-flight (52, also against Fiorentina).

Despite that slight dip, Napoli remain top of the standings, four points clear of the teams below them.

"I have a group of guys who really understand when I ask them to improve. This is the aspect I like the most, beyond the result and the standings," Conte told a press conference.

"We are growing as individuals and as a team... Torino are a great team. I was really afraid of this game. I lived in Turin for more than thirty years. I warned the guys, [and got] a mature response."

Torino keeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, brilliant throughout the day, dived to keep out a low back-heel shot by Romelu Lukaku, who made his 350th start in the top five European leagues, that could have opened the scoring for Napoli in the 23rd minute.

The Serbia goalkeeper showed off his reflexes again when he stretched to deny Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's header one minute later and continued to thwart Napoli's attack after the restart.

"Sometimes you take refuge in the result. Today we created, but there was a great goalkeeper who prevented us from being more relaxed at the end," Conte added.

McTominay eventually found a way past the Torino keeper in the 31st minute when he struck a shot powerfully inside the near post.

"He is a boy who was not a protagonist at [Manchester] United. I knew him well because I frequented the Premier League, he has quality," Conte said.

"We were lucky because he agreed to come in a situation in which we were not playing in Europe, having finished in 10th place. He could have seen Napoli as a demotion, instead, he came to be a protagonist."

Despite his satisfaction with the result and his side's growing form, the Italian coach pointed out that Napoli will need reinforcements if they keep up their good form and return to Europe next season.

"Looking at the other teams, how they've equipped themselves also in view of the commitments in Europe, and if we were to be good at getting into Europe, you will have to strengthen this squad... The president must know that," he said.

"Today we have 21 outfield players, and we have done what a team that only plays in the league and the Italian Cup does."

Pep Guardiola wants to "reset and start from zero" after Manchester City suffered a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.

Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah got the goals for the Reds as they moved 11 points clear of City, who sit in fifth, at the top of the table.

The reigning champions suffered their fourth consecutive Premier League defeat, their longest such run since August 2008, while they are now winless in seven in all competitions.

In fact, it is the first time Guardiola has lost four league matches in a row during his managerial career.

City were outplayed on Sunday, not registering their first shot until the 39th minute, their longest wait in a Premier League match since April 2010 against Arsenal (58 minutes).

"The first 15-20 minutes they were unstoppable, they started so strong, we tried to play with a lot of control and passes, but it was difficult to take it," Guardiola told Sky Sports.

"They deserved the first goal, but we started the first half so well and played well in the second half without too much threat. I know how strong Liverpool are in both boxes.

"I congratulate them, and we'll reset and start from zero, and it is difficult to believe it. I rely a lot on these players. I know they are doing in this position. We'll see what happens by the end of the season.

"We can always do the short passes, and we can do it, but we don't have many alternatives. All I can say is thank you to them because I know the commitment that they showed with and without the ball. Maybe I had a feeling inside me that we will build from them. We will restart and try and make a good run.

"There is a moment where maybe it will click. I congratulate Liverpool, they deserve the victory, and we accept the situation right now, and we'll build from that."

Liverpool fans were heard chanting "You're getting sacked in the morning" before the final whistle rang out at Anfield, with Guardiola holding up six fingers – one for each Premier League title he has won – as a reminder of City's recent dominance.

"All the stadiums want to sack me, it started at Brighton!" he said. "Maybe they are right with the results we've been having.

"I didn't expect that at Anfield. They didn't do it at 1-0, but at 2-0. Maybe they should have sung it in the past.

"I didn't expect it from the people from Liverpool, but it's fine, it's part of the game, and I understand completely. We've had incredible battles together. I have a respect for them."

City have won the Premier League in each of the last four seasons but have given themselves a mountain to climb if they want to repeat the feat for an unprecedented fifth year.

According to the Opta supercomputer, they now have just a 4.4% chance of clinching the title again, having had a 9.5% chance before the start of the weekend.

"I said before this game that we weren't in a position to think about targets, but the season is long," Guardiola added.

"We have to think about making results and then some players will come back, and then we'll be better, and we'll believe, maybe. There are many things to fight for and we're going to try."

John McGinn insists Aston Villa's Champions League exploits is not excuse for the club's difficult run of form, following their defeat to Chelsea.

Unai Emery's side have made a promising start to their first campaign in Europe's premier club competition in over 40 years, registering 10 points from their opening five matches.

However, they have struggled to build on that momentum and, after losing 3-0 at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, are now without a win in their last eight games across all competitions.

Nevertheless, McGinn believes Villa's continental adventure has not affected him and his team-mates, and is adamant they can turn their fortunes around, having dropped to 12th place in the Premier League table.

"I'm not sure if it can be an excuse because we had a more difficult turnaround last season," the skipper said. "The Conference League games, Thursday to Sunday, are much more difficult to recover from.

"It's an easy excuse, but not one we want to use. We know we are good enough to compete and get results like this. We need to get back to the levels we have reached over the last few seasons.

"We're in a tough moment as a group, so it's important for us to stick together; don't let what we have built break, take the responsibility, take the criticism that will probably come our way.

"We've still got an opportunity to do something really special this season. We have a game on Wednesday and then on Saturday, so we have to turn it around quickly."

Emery concurs Villa must do better, but has encouraged them to keep plugging away.

"Today, Chelsea were better than us," he said. "They played like they are now feeling confident with the players they have. We had our moments, but we didn't score. 

"We believe completely in our work. We are enjoying the Champions League and in the league, we are more or less under where we were.

"There are still matches to play and we are going to recover our confidence, trying to build the team. We have to try to be better than we are being now. We can, individually, do better."

Arne Slot believes his Liverpool team "came close to perfection" during their 2-0 win over Manchester City to go nine points clear at the top of the Premier League table. 

Liverpool piled more misery on Pep Guardiola's side, with goals from Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah compounding the Citizens to a sixth defeat in seven matches. 

And the Reds were worthy of their win. They accumulated an expected goals (xG) tally of 3.35 from their 18 shots compared to City's measly 0.82 from their eight efforts. 

Liverpool's lead at the summit is their biggest margin as leaders in the competition since the final day of the 2019-20 campaign when they won their last title (18 points).

Though Slot did not want to get carried away with his latest victory, he lauded his side for their display at Anfield. 

"Yeah [it was almost a perfect match], and if you look at the work-rate, I think it was perfect. The amount of chances we missed made it tight at the end," Slot said. 

"But maybe that's nice for matches like this. It should be like this. But it would have been nicer to score the second goal earlier.

"We always press high, but they're so good at build-up. So you have to work very hard. Our players had energy. Apart from our players, the crowd was fantastic today. 

"We're a compatible team, and it's difficult to beat us. But also we have to put the effort in. But we have injuries. We had to take Trent [Alexander-Arnold] off. It would have been a risk.

"These are the challenges we face at the moment, but every team has to face these challenges over a season. Next week is a big week against Newcastle and Everton.

"Ideally, I would have loved to have seen the second half being the same as the first half. But the quality of the other team.

"If you want to win against City you have to be perfect in every part of the game. High press, low press, build-up. They bring so many problems to you.

"We came close to perfection. We weren't perfect, but we came close to perfection. That's the only way to beat a quality team like City.

"I don't think anyone, including me, would have predicted this [start]. I knew Jurgen [Klopp] left the team in a very good place.

"But still, to win so much with all the difficult teams we have played already is not something you could predict at the start of the season.

"But, like I say, I saw Arsenal yesterday and Chelsea today and I saw City. They will come back because these teams have so much quality.

"They could go on the same run as us. So we have to stay sharp and focused."

However, Slot also highlighted his side's missed chances, with Liverpool perhaps unfortunate not to end the encounter with a more handsome scoreline. 

Salah perhaps squandered the best of those opportunities, firing over after intercepting a pass from Bernardo Silva with only Stefan Ortega to beat. 

"That's true. Although I watched this game every time when I was not working here, maybe this game deserved the way it went because it was special until the end," he added.

"But if you only look at it from a Liverpool perspective, it would not have been strange if we were two goals up at half-time or any other point of the game.

"City were dominating possession but still the chances were for us.

"You have 90 minutes of concern when you play City because they can cause you troubles or problems in every single second of the game.

"Even if you are 2-0 up you think like this. I saw a game with my former club doing something special.

"But no, you never feel comfortable when you play City because of the quality of their players and their manager."

Pep Guardiola wants to "reset and start from zero" after Manchester City suffered a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.

Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah got the goals for the Reds as they moved 11 points clear of City, who sit in fifth, at the top of the table.

The reigning champions suffered their fourth consecutive Premier League defeat, their longest such run since August 2008, while they are now winless in seven in all competitions.

In fact, it is the first time Guardiola has lost four league matches in a row during his managerial career.

City were outplayed on Sunday, not registering their first shot until the 39th minute, their longest wait in a Premier League match since April 2010 against Arsenal (58 minutes).

"The first 15-20 minutes they were unstoppable, they started so strong, we tried to play with a lot of control and passes, but it was difficult to take it," Guardiola told Sky Sports.

"They deserved the first goal, but we started the first half so well and played well in the second half without too much threat. I know how strong Liverpool are in both boxes.

"I congratulate them, and we'll reset and start from zero, and it is difficult to believe it. I rely a lot on these players. I know they are doing in this position. We'll see what happens by the end of the season.

"We can always do the short passes, and we can do it, but we don't have many alternatives. All I can say is thank you to them because I know the commitment that they showed with and without the ball. Maybe I had a feeling inside me that we will build from them. We will restart and try and make a good run.

"There is a moment where maybe it will click. I congratulate Liverpool, they deserve the victory, and we accept the situation right now, and we'll build from that."

Liverpool fans were heard chanting "You're getting sacked in the morning" before the final whistle rang out at Anfield, with Guardiola holding up six fingers – one for each Premier League title he has won – as a reminder of City's recent dominance.

"All the stadiums want to sack me, it started at Brighton!" he said. "Maybe they are right with the results we've been having.

"I didn't expect that at Anfield. They didn't do it at 1-0, but at 2-0. Maybe they should have sung it in the past.

"I didn't expect it from the people from Liverpool, but it's fine, it's part of the game, and I understand completely. We've had incredible battles together. I have a respect for them."

City have won the Premier League in each of the last four seasons but have given themselves a mountain to climb if they want to repeat the feat for an unprecedented fifth year.

According to the Opta supercomputer, they now have just a 4.4% chance of clinching the title again, having had a 9.5% chance before the start of the weekend.

"I said before this game that we weren't in a position to think about targets, but the season is long," Guardiola added.

"We have to think about making results and then some players will come back, and then we'll be better, and we'll believe, maybe. There are many things to fight for and we're going to try."

Cole Palmer saluted Enzo Maresca's desire following Chelsea's 3-0 victory over Aston Villa on Sunday.

The Blues moved to joint-second in the Premier League - only behind Arsenal due to alphabetical order - after a comfortable win at Stamford Bridge.

First-half goals from Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez put the hosts in control, while Palmer's superb 20-yard strike sealed the points seven minutes from time.

The England winger took his league goal tally for the campaign to eight, and highlighted the influence of Maresca as a key factor in his consistently high-quality performances.

"I think if I go out and enjoy my football, the goals and assists will come," he told Sky Sports. "It's all down to the manager, the desire that he puts into the sessions and what the players give to him.

"Aston Villa are a good team so to win and go higher up the table is good. If we keep winning, I'm sure we'll be near the top four. We're just trying to keep going and win plenty of games."

Maresca, meanwhile, paid tribute to Robert Sanchez and Moises Caicedo, who started the game at right-back, as the Blues kept their first home league clean sheet of the season.

"The performance was very good," he said. "A top performance on and off the ball, and [I am] very happy with the three points.

"We don't have any doubt [about Sanchez]. It is more outside noise about him. But we are very happy because he is helping us by saving goals, and helping in the build-up.

"Moi deserves the best because he is a fantastic guy, very humble. Everything we ask, he is there to do it."

Real Madrid closed the gap on LaLiga leaders Barcelona to a single point following a 2-0 victory over Getafe on Sunday.

Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe were on target in the first half for Carlo Ancelotti's side, who have a game in hand on the Blaugrana.

Following Barca's 2-1 defeat to Las Palmas on Saturday, Los Blancos broke the deadlock from the penalty spot on the half-hour mark at Santiago Bernabeu.

With Mbappe having failed from 12 yards against Liverpool in midweek, Bellingham made no mistake after Allan Nyom was penalised for a foul on Antonio Rudiger.

Bellingham then turned provider as Madrid doubled their lead eight minutes later by finding the France captain, who whipped the ball home from outside the box for his 10th goal of the season.

While Madrid, who recorded three straight clean sheets for the first time this term, maintain the pressure on Barca at the LaLiga summit, Getafe have slipped to 17th place with only goal difference keeping them outside the relegation zone.

Data Debrief: Mbappe enjoys home comforts

Madrid have now won each of their last 16 home LaLiga matches against Getafe. It is their joint-most successive such victories over a single opponent in the division.

Bellingham got the ball rolling from the penalty spot, where he boasts a 100% record (four from four) in the big five European leagues.

Mbappe gave Los Blancos breathing space with his fifth home league goal of the campaign, with only Osasuna's Ante Budimir (six) bettering that tally.

Inter's Serie A clash with Fiorentina has been postponed after Edoardo Bove collapsed at Stadio Artemio Franchi on Sunday.

The midfielder, who is on loan at La Viola from Roma, fell to the ground in the 17th minute, with medical personnel rushing to his aid, while his team-mates formed a protective ring around him.

Bove was taken away in an ambulance, while the referee escorted the players from the pitch to return to the dressing rooms.

A Serie A spokesperson confirmed the match would be postponed until a later date, while Sky Sport Italia reported the 22-year-old had regained consciousness and was breathing without aid.

Mohamed Salah reiterated his uncertainty over his Liverpool future, acknowledging his contract situation was getting "in his head".

Salah set up Cody Gakpo's opener and then scored Liverpool's second in a dominant 2-0 win over Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday.

The Egyptian has now scored and assisted in 36 Premier League games, the joint-most by a player in the competition's history, equalling Wayne Rooney's record.

Despite Salah's sensational form this season, a cloud hangs over him, with the 32-year-old having said last week Liverpool were yet to offer him a new deal.

Salah's contract runs out at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, and as it stands, he will be leaving the Reds.

He told Sky Sports: "Honestly, it's in my head. Right now, this is the last City game I will play for Liverpool [at Anfield], so I was just going to enjoy it.

"The atmosphere was incredible so I will enjoy every second here. Hopefully, we just win the league and will see what will happen."

Reflecting on the electric Anfield atmosphere, Salah said: "It's very special. I don't take it for granted. I'm enjoying every minute here. It feels like home.

"It's always a special feeling always scoring at Anfield and winning games."

Liverpool are now nine points clear at the top of the table, while they moved 11 points ahead of fifth-placed City, who lost a fourth straight league match.

Virgil van Dijk turned in a sensational performance at the back for the Reds, making a game-high seven clearances, while he might have scored early on if not for a fine stop from Stefan Ortega, who nudged the Dutchman's header onto the post.

"I think City are a fantastic team. Four-time champions in a row," Van Dijk told Sky Sports.

"They have the quality to punish any team. But I think we were solid defensively and had great chances. We could have scored more."

Van Dijk has experience of leading Liverpool to a Premier League title, having done so back in 2019-20, but he insists the Reds must keep their feet on the ground.

"We focus on the next game. That's the only thing we can do. There's no point at this stage of the season to get ahead of ourselves," he added.

"Of course, everybody wants to be in a position where they are 11 points ahead of their opponents. But there's so many twists and turns. We have injuries to our team, unfortunately, and we have to deal with that."

Liverpool face Newcastle United on Wednesday before taking on Everton, who were thrashed 4-0 by Manchester United on Sunday, in the final league Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.

Mohamed Salah scored one and set up another as Liverpool marched 11 points clear of Manchester City with a 2-0 victory over Pep Guardiola's out-of-form side at Anfield.

Salah, who had previously squandered a great chance to double Liverpool's lead, made sure of the points from the penalty spot after Stefan Ortega had fouled Luis Diaz.

The Egyptian star set up Liverpool's early opener, picking out Cody Gakpo with a superb low cross.

Liverpool's dominance rarely looked under threat as they also struck the woodwork twice in the first half, with Kevin De Bruyne failing to convert from City's best opportunity as the visitors lost a fourth straight league game.

Arne Slot's side are now nine points clear at the top of the Premier League, while City are in fifth, with their hopes of retaining the title swiftly fading away.

Data Debrief: Setting the tone

It was a dominant display from Liverpool on Sunday, helped somewhat by an off-the-pace City performance, but Slot will have no complaints about what he saw from his team.

Defensively they were strong, and the visitors' first shot attempt did not come until the 39th minute; their longest wait for their first effort in a Premier League match since April 2010 against Arsenal (58th minute), while their first shot on target did not materialise until the 82nd. 

The win means Liverpool are now nine points clear at the top of the table, their biggest margin as leaders in the competition since the final day of the 2019-20 season, when they won their last title (18 points).

Meanwhile, City have lost four consecutive Premier League games for the first time since August 2008. It is also the first time in Guardiola's managerial career that he has lost four consecutive league matches.

Ange Postecoglou believes his Tottenham side were worthy of a point, despite being far from their best in their 1-1 draw with Fulham. 

Brennan Johnson's sixth Premier League goal of the season was cancelled out by Tom Cairney's stunning effort, though the latter saw red late on for a foul on Dejan Kulusevski. 

The result saw the hosts miss out on the chance to move within a point of the top four, with their inconsistency this season proving to be their Achilles heel. 

Tottenham managed an expected goals (xG) total of 0.65 compared to Fulham's 1.38, though Postecoglou said that his injury-hit side deserved a point on home soil. 

"A point was probably fair. It was a tight game. Neither team opened up too much. It was hard to dominate for either side," the head coach said. 

"It was probably always going to be decided by some half-chances, and we ended up getting the draw.

"For the most part, we handled it OK, we should have taken those to put some pressure on them. We looked like we were getting on top and then they scored.

"They didn't create loads. We are pretty thin on the ground, so I can't ask too much more of them at the moment."

Postecoglou also praised Fraser Forster, who became the oldest player to make a Premier League appearance for Spurs since Brad Friedel in November 2013 on Sunday.

Forster made five saves against Fulham, denying efforts from Alex Iwobi and Raul Jimenez either side of half-time. 

"He pulled off a couple of important saves for us, and it is good to have someone in that area who is stepping in," Postecoglou said of his goalkeeper's display. 

Marco Silva, however, believed Fulham were the only worthy winners at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. 

The Cottagers had several chances to punish Tottenham's sloppy play in possession, but failed to take their opportunities. 

Fulham are now unbeaten in their last eight Premier League London derbies (won four, drawn four), the club's longest ever such run, with Silva lauding his side's display. 

"I think that everybody should recognise that the team who deserved to win this afternoon was ourselves. We deserved to win. We played our way with our identity on the pitch.

"Myself, the players and the fans should be proud of it. We should have been leading the score with the chances we had. We have to be realistic that Tottenham had chances as well."

Silva also gave his view on Cairney's dismissal, with the Fulham captain given his marching orders 16 minutes after scoring the Cottagers' equaliser. 

"Firstly, I know him. Tom Cairney is not the player for that, everybody knows," he said.

"I have to be realistic and honest with you, everybody knows I am the first one asking him to be more aggressive in the right way, to keep some principles as a midfielder in that situation, but he is not the type of player to do that type of thing.

"He stamped on his leg and, of course, looking for the images, it should be a red card, and we have to accept knowing Tom Cairney was really unlucky because he is not that type of player."